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All About Intersex
Intersex is a generally descriptive term that identifies people whose reproductive anatomy, chromosomes, or hormones don’t fit a binary characteristic. Approximately 1.7% of the population is Intersex, and the normalisation of Intersex bodies has been an issue of great debate within the medical field.
Being Intersex is not an indication of sexual orientation or gender identity. You can be Intersex and gay, Intersex and straight, Intersex and bisexual, Intersex and asexual/aromantic/demisexual. Sexual and gender identity are separate from being Intersex, and have no correlation in contrast with the general population.
Historically, Intersex babies and children were operated on as soon as traits became obvious, or there was evidence of genital differentiation. Sometimes parents were not advised of this, and thus Intersex people were also unaware of these medical interventions. The rationale behind this was that if an infant was raised in the gender that most closely aligned with their physical characteristics, then they would develop consistent gender traits and live as a woman or a man.
For people born with sex characteristics that do not fit into a social binary, nonconsensual medical intervention can be incredibly invasive, damaging, and cause a great deal of emotional and physical pain. The risks of…